Canzano: Five 'most important' figures
Most important figures from Oregon football, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Boise State, Utah... and the Trail Blazers
Cam Rising’s medical retirement hit like a bag of bricks this week. I was in the press box at Rice-Eccles Stadium during the 2022 regular season when the unflappable Rising led the University of Utah to a stunning 43-42 victory over USC.
The Utes’ quarterback threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for three more TDs and scored the game-winning two-point conversion on a scramble. Utah fans poured over the railing to celebrate a cathartic victory.
How important was Rising as a figure in Utah football history? I reached out to Bill Riley, the long-time radio play-by-play broadcaster for Utes football. Riley came up with his “five most important figures” in Utah football history.
They are:
Kyle Whittingham — “He transformed them from just a plucky little G5 school to a power in a ‘Power Five’ league.”
Cam Rising — “He made them contenders… frankly, he was THE GUY.”
Urban Meyer — “He was only here two years, but Urban Meyer made Utah football cool. The coach made them a powerhouse in a short period of time.”
Alex Smith — “Alex was the leader and QB of that BCS-buster team that broke through nationally.”
Ron McBride — “He brought Utah football back to life and made the BYU-Utah rivalry competitive again.”
The exercise got me thinking about other college football programs and their “most important” figures. Who are the five most important figures in Oregon Ducks football history? How about Oregon State football? Washington? Washington State? How about Boise State?
Also, how about the Trail Blazers franchise?
I took a stab on it all.